Jul 8, 2013 | Racing
July 7, 2013
Sevruga matched the fastest time ever trotted on a 5/8-mile oval with a romping win in a Preferred trot at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on Sunday night. The race carried a purse of $25,000.
Sevruga (SJ’s Caviar-Stunning Lindsey), a 5-year-old gelding from the Julie Miller barn, left from post position #6 in a field of seven as the 1-5 favorite. Driver Andy Miller sent him to the front before the quarter, and as he clipped off fractions of 26:4, 55:4, and 1:22:4, the rest of the field faded from view. Sevruga trotted home 5 ½ lengths in front in a stunning 1:50:3. Upfront Billy in second and Traverse Seelster in third picked up the minor awards.
Sevruga’s time of 1:50:3 matched the mark set at Pocono just eight nights ago by Uncle Peter as the fastest ever time trotted on a 5/8-mile oval. It also sets the track and world record for aged geldings trotting on that distance track. The previous world mark was 1:50:4.
Sevruga, owned by KDM Stables Corp, won for the 8th time in 14 races this season. The victory was the 25th of his career and put his lifetime earnings at $635,091.
In other Sunday night action at Pocono, Rock N Soul outfinished Economy Terror in the stretch in a duel between million-dollar mares, winning a Preferred Handicap pace for mares in the process. The race carried a purse of $25,000.
Leaving from post position #6 in a field of seven, Rock N Soul (Rocknroll Hanover-Artchitecture), left early and led at the quarter only to cede the lead to Economy Terror in the front stretch. The two stayed in that order until the stretch, when driver Matt Kakaley guided Rock N Soul, trained by Ron Burke, up the inside passing lane to win by a neck over Economy Terror in a career-best 1:49:4. Bullet Point was right with the top two at the line in third.
Rock N Soul, owned by Weaver Bruscemi, Burke Racing, and Frank Baldachino, won for the fourth time in 13 races this season. It was the 21st career victory for the 6-year-old mare, pushing her lifetime earnings to $1,012,935.
Jul 8, 2013 | Racing
July 5, 2013
Summer Indian undoubtedly enjoyed the warm summer temperature on Friday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. The 4-year-old gelding, from the Ron Burke barn and driven by Matt Kakaley, broke a world trotting record that was already established on the red dirt speedway in the Pocono Mountains. Leaving from post five, Summer Indian took control just past a :27.1 first quarter and sped through quarter times of :54.3, 1:22 and stopped the teletimer in 1:51.1. The previous 1:52 world mark was held by Macho Lindy set in 2008.
Eight divisions of two-year-old filly trotter Pennsylvania All Stars races were also on the card. The races each carried a purse of $30,000.
The Friday night started out with the following winners of the Pennsylvania All Stars races: Struck By Lindy (Explosive Matter-Lindy Of My Dreams), driven by Ron Pierce and trained by Nifty Norman, in 1:56.4; Juniata Hanover (Cantab Hall-Justgotafeeling), driven by Matt Kakaley and trained by Ron Burke, in 1:58:3; and Designed To Be (Donato Hanover-Sheer Soul), driven by Tyler Buter and trained by Julie Miller, in 1:57.3. It was then clinic time, as in putting on a clinic, as the duo of driver Ron Pierce and trainer Jimmy Takter won with Honor thy Daughter (Donato Hanover-Honorable Daughter) in 1:57; Shake It Cerry (Donato Hanover-Solveig) in 1:54.4. That mark came close to equaling the track mark of 1:54.3; and Lifetime Pursuit (Cantab Hall-Queen Of Grace) in 1:57.1.
The final two divisions of the evening for the freshman filly trotters went to: Vanity Matters (Explosive Matter-Vanity Plates), driven by Andrew McCarthy and trained by Jonas Czernyson, in 1:57.2; and Global Magic (Broadway Hall-Global Glamour), driven by Andrew McCarthy and trained by Peter Foley, in 1:56.2.
Jul 2, 2013 | Racing
June 30, 2013
Frau Blucher picked up her fourth victory in as many tries this year, highlighting Pennsylvania All Stars action at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs on Sunday night. The All Stars races are part of Grand Circuit Week at Pocono.
Frau Blucher (Broadway Hall-My Angel), who had already won three Pennsylvania Sire Stakes races to start her 2013 campaign, continued her dominance with a half-length win over Fashion Athena in one of three $35,000 divisions of All Stars races held for 3-year-old trotting fillies. With Jim Morrill Jr. in the bike for trainer Chris Oakes, Frau Blucher won in 1:53:4.
Morrill and Oakes also hooked up for a win in another 3-year-old filly trotting division of the Pennsylvana All Stars, as Classic Martine (Classic Photo-Drinking Days) scored in 1:53:1. In the final division of that group, Promisemethis (Chip Chip Hooray-Promisemespring), driven by Dan Rawlings and trained by Rick Beinhauer, prevailed in 1:54:2.
There were also six $30,000 All Star divisions of the 2-year-old colts and geldings on the pace held at Pocono. The winners were: All Star Partner (Four Starzzz Shark-Faithful Ideal), driven by Mike Simons and trained by John Butenschoen, in 1:52:4; Jack Attack (Allamerican Native-Pocket Queens), driven by Ron Pierce and trained by Bill Mullin, in 1:53:4; At Press Time (Western Terror-So Right), driven by David Miller and trained by Sam DePinto, in 1:53:4; Stevensville (Somebeachsomewhere-Wild West Show), driven by Simons and trained by Ray Schnittker; Let’s Drink On It (Art Official-Letmedowneasy), driven by Pierce and trained by Joe Seekman, in 1:52; and Cabana Boy Hanover (Somebeachsomewhere-Current Hanover), driven by Matt Kakaley and trained by Oakes, in 1:52:3.
Jun 23, 2013 | Racing
June 14-20, 2013
What an amazing week of racing we all just witnessed at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. In a year that will see the track host The Breeders Crown in October, we’re already getting a taste of the incendiary action to come. This past week offered Stallion Series races, Pennsylvania Sire Stakes races, and a world record-matching performance. Let’s take a look at it all by passing out the Weekly Awards.
TROTTER OF THE WEEK: GUCCIO
What is it about trainer Jimmy Takter and four-year-old trotting stallions at Pocono? On June 8 in a $25,000 Preferred trot, Takter trainee Uncle Peter delivered a stunning performance in his victory, trotting the mile in 1:51:1. That not only set a track record for the age and gender grouping but it also smashed a world record for the group on a 5/8-mile oval.
Takter was at it again in Saturday night’s Preferred event, only this time he brought in another 4-year-old stallion named Guccio. Guccio had been seasoned against ruggedly tough trotters at The Meadowlands and was made the 2-5 favorite in the race. Takter also did the driving and positioned his horse perfectly behind a speed duel that created unconscious fractions in front of him.
Guccio rolled by his competition in the stretch, ending up 1 ½ lengths out in front of the rest. And what do you think his winning time was? 1:51:1, meaning that he matched the world record that his stablemate just set. I guess the next time you see a Jimmy Takter four-year-old stallion trotting into Pocono, you should watch that timer close to see if another record-breaking performance is in the offing.
Other top trotters this week include: Valley Of Sin (Mike Wilder, John Butenschoen), whose rallying win on Sunday in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action for 3-year-old colts and geldings in a career-best 1:54:1 was his second straight victory at Pocono; Quantum Cashman (Jonathan Drury, Carmen Auciello), who moved up in class to win a claiming handicap trot on Tuesday night in a career-best 1:54:3, his third straight overall and second in a row at Pocono; and Lady Broadway (Jim Morrill Jr., Chris Oakes), a 3-year-old filly who won her third straight, the last two of which have come at Pocono, with a victory in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes competition on Wednesday night in 1:55:2.
PACER OF THE WEEK: BET ON THE LAW
Sometimes it takes a change of tactics to get a horse over the hump. In the case of Bet On The Law, a standout performer for trainer/driver Joe Pavia Jr., he had tried gunning out on the lead in his previous two starts in Preferred paces at Pocono, a style that had served him well in lower classes, only to get caught from behind when facing the best pacers on the grounds.
Saturday night’s $25,000 Preferred pace was loaded with big names and lots of up-front speed, so Pavia decided to try something different. He held Bet On The Law back in the field early while others battled for the lead and did all the work. He then wisely caught the cover of Hurrikane Kingcole on the back stretch to get his horse into contention with a minimum of effort.
In the stretch, while others had already used their best strides, Bet On The Law was just finding his. The 4-year-old gelding blew by his cover and everyone else to win by a length. His winning time of 1:48:4 marked a new career-best, but even more important, this talented pacer showed the versatility necessary to win no matter how a race plays out.
Honorable mention on the pacing side goes to: Best Ears (Jim Morrill Jr., Rene Allard), who followed up a condition win in his previous race with a victory over $25,000 claimers on Saturday night in a scorching career-best time of 1:49:4; Ideal Matters (George Napolitano Jr., Gilberto Garcia-Herrera), who won for the third time in his last four starts with a conquest of a condition pacing field on Saturday in 1:49:3; and Drop The Ball (Corey Callahan, Ross Croghan), who won Sunday night’s Preferred pace for mares in 1:50.
LONG SHOT OF THE WEEK: CAGE FIGHTER
With Andrew McCarthy in the bike, this claiming pacer spiced up the early Daily Double on Wednesday night with a rallying win at 44-1, paying out $91 on a $2 win ticket.
DRIVER OF THE WEEK: MATT KAKALEY
Kakaley has been on fire for much of the season, but he turned it up with double-figures in wins for the week, including a five-bagger on Tuesday night.
TRAINER OF THE WEEK: RON BURKE
Burke started the week off with three training wins on Friday night and didn’t let up from there, as he has slowly but surely ascended to the top of the Pocono training colony in victories for the meet.
That will do it for this week, but we’ll see you at the track. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Jun 19, 2013 | Racing
June 18, 2013
The combination of trainer Virgil Morgan Jr. and driver David Miller scored a pair of wins with the two fastest times in Stallion Series action for three-year-old trotting fillies on Tuesday night at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. There were five divisions held on the night, each with a purse of $20,000.
The Miller-Morgan combo first scored with Choose Happy (Donato Hanover-Tady Strikes Again), whose winning time of 1:54:3 was a more than a second faster than the previous quickest winning time in the Stallion Series splits. A few starts later, the duo did it again even faster with Choose Happy’s half-sister UF Tady’s Donato (Donato Hanover-Tady’s Comer), who rolled in 1:54:2.
The other fillies winning Stallion Series divisions at Pocono on Wednesday night: Changed It All (Yankee Glide-Rhine River), driven by Jim Morrill Jr. and trained by Michael Hall, in 1:56:2; Bethel Hanover (Donato Hanover-Beignet Hanover), driven by Morrill and trained by Staffan Lind, in 1:57:3; and Shouda Cuda Wuda (SJ’s Caviar-Mink Hanover), driven by Matt Kakaley and trained by Allan Johnson, in 1:56.
